U.S. hiring drive projected to continue running strong this year

Some of the U.S.’ largest firms increased the size of their
staffs last year, capitalizing on gains they had made, according to
USA Today.

The nation’s biggest companies collectively added 4.2 percent
more net jobs in 2011, the publication noted, citing information
from S&P Capital IQ. Caterpillar, Jabil Circuit and Qualcomm
are among those companies that helped add nearly 744,000 new jobs
last year, but the total is not specific to the U.S.

“It’s refreshing to see these job gains at these large
companies,” Jack Ablin with Harris Private Bank told the news
source.

Strong job reports and returns thus far this year are likely to
last and resume as 2012 continues, according to The Associated
Press. Officials are managing to grasp ahold of the sovereign debt
crisis, the U.S. housing market is improving, Congress is seeing
less gridlock and the economy and job markets are more durable than
they were last year.

Banks in the U.S. are more inclined to lend to businesses and
they are lending more money, and the pace of government cuts at the
state and local level is pulling back. Plus the debt standoff in
the U.S. between the Obama administration and congressional
Republicans has subsided.